Anti-violence group to protest at event to honor Camden's first black mayor

11:31 PM,
Nov. 12, 2012

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Written by

Kevin C. Shelly
Courier-Post Staff

A dispute over memorial crosses outside City Hall comes as Mayor Dana L. Redd plans to name the building in honor of Melvin "Randy" Primas, Camden's first black mayor.

City and county officials are to hold a ceremony at noon today to put Primas' name on the historic landmark. Members of an anti-violence group say they'll protest at the event, asserting it shows the city's failure to prioritize public safety issues.

The group, STOP, has planted 58 crosses outside City Hall, representing the year-to-date total of homicides in the city. The death toll matches a record set in 1995. ...